Chapter 424: The Lamb Business

Chapter 424

It was unknown whether it was unbearable from the fever, or it was time.

After being ill with high fever for two days and three nights, the Fifth Prince's fever finally receded, and it looked like his life was saved, leaving only an increasingly frail body.

The other palaces all expressed regret over this.

Some pretended to be worried but were actually disappointed that the little brat didn't die from the fever.

Some were very caring and really sent over many nice things.

Others were vigilant and suspected this was just a new scheme in the inner palace.

But none of that was important. The Fifth Prince only needed to close the palace gates and live in seclusion, which was enough to make the world forget about his existence.

Wen Zhiyun went back and forth between the medical hall and the Wu's residence every day, diligently learning medicine without saying.

Xu Mo was also gradually becoming familiar at the Imperial Academy. He would go to the Wenchang Pavilion two or three times occasionally, and the poems he left behind were passed down by word of mouth. The reputation of Young Master Qingzhu was increasingly firm, attracting countless admirers.

Everyone was doing quite well, except for the Zheng siblings who were busy with the lychee business at Jiuzhen Lane.

They had overestimated the influence of aristocratic families on business.

They had originally thought that by promptly delivering lychees to the imperial city, they could maintain high profits for the lychee business. But unexpectedly, the Fang family was so overbearing. The lychees they brought occupied half of the Fengjing aristocratic family market.

In fact, when thinking about it, it made sense.

Lychee transportation costs were expensive, with prices comparable to gold. Only the wealthy aristocratic families of Fengjing could afford them - the powerful, well-established families.

And the Fang family led nearly half of the Fengjing aristocratic families. Families like the Zhu's and Tao's would not buy lychees from Jiuzhen Lane instead of the Fang family's lychees.

As a result, the Lingnan lychee market was greatly reduced, leaving only purchases from friendly families like the Jiang's and Yao's.

Money could still be earned, but it couldn't compare to the monopolistic profits of the Liao family.

Zheng Ruqian pounded his chest in frustration. "Why did they target me? My older brother is at the Imperial Academy. If you want to make trouble, go bother him!"

Xu Mo: "..."

After venting his frustration, he still had to think of a way out.

Excellent businessmen would never tolerate profits slipping away before their eyes.

His eyes lit up as he thought of the lychee ice cream Master Kong had taught him to make last year. He immediately had people start freezing lychees, and once the hot July sun became scorching, he sold it at Jiuzhen Lane.

But unexpectedly, the Fang family had also experienced the popularity of lychee ice cream. They also started freezing lychees and rolled out sales.

This earned another barrage of curses from Zheng Er.

"Okay!" Jiang Sheng sweetly agreed and fumbled to take out banknotes. "How much do you need?"

"I need 50,000 taels."

...

The wind blew past the cake shop. The sweet little girl was petrified on the spot, unable to recover for a long time.

When they had originally purchased the small plot of grassland and hired people to raise the sheep, it didn't even cost 5,000 taels. How did it suddenly need 50,000 taels just to transport the sheep this time?

Their entire lychee season had only earned 50,000 taels!

While it was a lot, spending it all was still heartbreaking.

Jiang Sheng glared with round eyes but didn't say a word. Her face was full of "spendthrift."

"I'm not a spendthrift, nor do I insist on spending everything I earn," Zheng Ruqian explained earnestly. "In the past when I was a vegetable vendor, I thought transporting goods everywhere was profitable. But after truly engaging in the lychee business, I realized that was just laying the foundation. The real profits come from unique things that others can't easily imitate."

Like lychees that needed ice, and lamb meat from the borderlands.

Transporting vegetables for three years was not as profitable as one lychee season.

If not for the Fang family's meddling, the siblings could have earned 100,000 taels of snowflake silver this season.

100,000 taels - what concept was that?

But it obviously wouldn't work to focus all business on lychees. The Fang family lacked money this year so they snatched the business. What if they still lacked money next year and kept snatching?

Or some other aristocratic family became inspired and decided to imitate.

"We're not the Liao family. We don't want to use so many dirty tricks to seize business. Ordinary small businesses earning big money will inevitably attract coveting," Zheng Ruqian said seriously. "Maybe it was because the Fang family interfered this year that other small families didn't dare grab the lychee business."

Blessing lies within disaster, disaster lurks within blessing.

Looking at things from multiple angles, perhaps Zheng Ruqian should even be grateful to the Fang family.

"The lychee business might get snatched. Everyone knows the high profits, so it's likely to get disrupted. But lamb is different. Borderland lamb has a uniquely delicious flavor rarely found, and perhaps could become the next lychee."

But this time, only they could earn the profits.

The 50,000 taels was not only to transport live sheep, but also to expand the grasslands and hire more hands, thoroughly building up the ranch.

"Jiang Sheng, I've only just realized, the most difficult thing about doing business is going from nothing, from being penniless to having a dime." Zheng Ruqian's tone was unhurried. "Once you have a dime, you can earn a dollar. Once you have a dollar, you can earn a tael."

And going from one tael to 100 taels, from 100 taels to 1,000 taels, would only get easier and easier.

Money breeds money.

"Your brother has worked so hard for so many years. Just give me a bit more time, and I'll let you wear the finest clothes in Fengjing, adorn yourself with the roundest pearls in Fengjing," Zheng Ruqian reached out and grasped his teary-eyed sister's hands. "So the 50,000 taels, will you give it or not?"